The War of the Dandelions

Preparing one of my flower beds for the upcoming planting of annuals this past weekend, I was distracted by my son whispering behind me. I turned, and saw him standing still a few feet away, head bowed in an almost spiritual seriousness over something he held in his hand. Curious, I leaned over so I could see and then gasped in horror!

“I wish…” he whispered reverently. “ I wish…” and then he screwed his eyes up tight, lifted his hands in front of him, and blew.

Hundreds of fluffy white seeds flew out, dancing on the breeze. They carried his fervent wish, and my most relentless enemy. He watched them fly away on the afternoon breeze, eyes wide and smiling. I watched them settle like paratroopers between the blades of grass, eyes glaring and a grim determination narrowing my lips.

Dandelions.

In the span of a summer, dandelions can take over a lawn if unchecked. They are not bad plants, actually. You can make dandelion wine from the flowers, add the bitter-tasting leaves to your salads (best picked before the plant flowers). The plant is actually quite nutritious. The leaves and roots are high in Vitamins A, B complex and C, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. In fact, homeopathic medicine prizes dandelion for cutting cholesterol and detoxifying blood while improving liver and kidney function.

But they are unwanted invaders in the lawn. My neighbor is out from April to October with a strong poison solution, shooting his dandelions point blank in their sunny yellow faces. I use a more organic approach and either dig them up or just pop off their flowers and buds, effectively beheading them and stopping their propagation.

My son turns to me, smiling wide and eyes gleaming with joy. “I made a wish, Mommy!” he shouts, but I just nod as I scan the lawn. I know they are out there and I won’t rest until I find them!

Seek and destroy.